


Holiday In the Snow

by SeverusSnapeFan



Series: The Trials and Desperation of Spider-Man [24]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Accidents, Desperation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hypoglycemia, I do what I want, Omorashi, Peter Parker Can't Thermoregulate, Protective Tony Stark, Remember this is Fanfic, Snow, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27176674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeverusSnapeFan/pseuds/SeverusSnapeFan
Summary: “When were you going to tell me this?” Tony asked worried now about the possibility of being caught in this storm. He couldn’t imagine that horror, not to mention Peter it was too horrifying to think about.“I hadn’t planned on telling you at all because I knew you would worry. I had no choice now as you were going to go back and we don’t have the time for it,” JARVIS said truthfully.“Damn it,” Tony hissed out, hating this sudden turn of events.
Relationships: Jarvis (Iron Man movies) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: The Trials and Desperation of Spider-Man [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1053320
Comments: 22
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, I've been sitting on this for about three days, I have no self-restraint. This comes directly from my Dead RP I was talking about.
> 
> A few key points for my headcanon of Peter, he's 10 here and he got bit by the Spider earlier, so he is Spider-man, he just doesn't go out on patrol alone. Tony is always with him when he goes out, if he goes. As with all my stories, regression is prominent but that's a given.
> 
> I hope you guys like it. It's cute, and remember this is fanfic, I can legit do what I want. Read the tags, thanks!

Tony was excited, even as he started the 6-hour drive to his infamous snow cabin. The last time he had gone there he had gone with Pepper for their 6 month Anniversary. He had bought it specifically with her in mind, but they had never been back despite the fact. He had bought this cabin with the sole purpose of using it when he wanted a getaway. 

Like everything in his life, JARVIS was interconnected with it as that’s how he liked it. He was also excited because he couldn’t wait to show Peter everything good about it. He still couldn’t believe how everything panned out for this long weekend. 

May had back to back double shifts at the hospital, and Peter luckily enough had a 4 day weekend from school. And Pepper had jumped at the chance to spend more time with both Tony and Peter. He was hoping that all of them would develop an even deeper bond, especially since despite the fact that Peter was calling Pepper momma a bit more now, he was still really shy with her. 

He wanted Peter to fully accept her, though he wasn’t going to rush him. He glanced in the mirror to check on the said kid, smiling as he caught his little boy’s eye in the mirror. 

“You doing okay buddy?” Tony asked curiously.

“Yeah I’m fine, I’m just playing my game,” Peter said brightly as he gestured to his Nintendo Switch.

“I’m happy you’re having fun, just remember if you need anything just tell us,” Tony told his child seriously.

“I will,” Peter promised, but he was sure that in his near future he wouldn’t need anything. He grabbed his headphones so he could hear his game music without disturbing the two adults in the front. 

Pepper glanced back and smiled when she saw the headphones before turning to look at Tony happily. “So now that he has his ears covered, what are your plans this holiday weekend?” She asked as she knew that Tony wanted to surprise Peter. 

“Well, I’m not sure what time we’ll get to the cabin but I know that I’ll want to rest after the long drive. But tomorrow there is a ski lodge about a 15-minute walk from the cabin, we’ll be taking the car of course so it’ll be about a 5-minute drive. There I will get Peter a brand new helmet and goggles before I rent some gear for him,” Tony explained.

“You’re not going to buy his gear outright?” Pepper asked in surprise.

“No, I don’t know if he’ll take to skiing more or snowboarding, I don’t want to assume and for all I know, he might not like either. He may just enjoy tubing,” Tony said truthfully. He didn’t want Peter to feel obligated to like something just because he had all the equipment for it. 

“That’s very thoughtful actually, I didn’t think about that,” Pepper admitted.

“I do have my moments,” Tony said with a grin. 

Pepper nodded in amusement because Tony’s tone was quite proud, and she loved him even more at that moment. She adored when he was a doting father and she couldn’t wait until they had a little one together so she could see it all the time. It was a great look for him. 

“Going back to the bit where it was a 10-minute walk from the Cabin, why would we be taking the car every time?” She asked curiously.

“Because Peter doesn’t deal with the cold very well, I’m sure you’ve noticed how very warm it is in this car. We are out of our layers but our little boy is still in his,” Tony said quietly, thinking yet again that maybe they and by that, he meant him and Peter should bring Pepper into the loop regarding his abilities. 

“Why is that? Has he been checked out?” Pepper asked softly, wondering if it was something she needed to be worried about.

“He has, by both Bruce and Helen, there is nothing we can do about it, we just have to keep him warm at all times. It won’t be a problem, I’ve been preparing for this weekend, and I’ve tweaked a snowsuit that I bought for him. It has a built-in heater that is guaranteed to keep him warm and toasty,” Tony assured her.

“That’s good, I love that you are prepared for any situation,” Pepper said happily, her worries abated now that she knew that Tony had everything under control. 

“Did you need anything honey?” Tony asked as he knew he had asked Peter that but he realized belatedly that he hadn’t asked Pepper. 

“No I’m alright, I’m enjoying the ride,” Pepper promised him easily.

“Good,” Tony said, taking his free hand and reaching out to hold her hand happily. 

~*~*3 hours later*~*~*~

Peter grimaced before taking his headphones off of his ears, looking out of the windows as the car drove down the snow-covered road. Everything in sight was covered in snow, and he had no idea where they even were. He bit his bottom lip anxiously, his eyes flickering to his father and then to Pepper in the passenger seat. 

He had been ignoring the persistent urge in his lower abdomen for the last 45 minutes but it had continued to throb and now he couldn’t ignore it any longer. He swallowed thickly unsure of what he should do before he raised his hand as if he was school.

Tony noticed the hand because he was constantly checking on his son to make sure he was okay, frowning because this was weird. “Bubba, this isn’t school, you don’t have to raise your hand,” he said slowly. “What’s up?”

Peter shrugged but he obediently put his hand down, shifting in his seat anxiously. “Are we almost there?” he asked Instead of what he truly wanted to say. 

“Not quite, we’ve got another 2 hours on the road kiddo, what did you need kiddo? Are you hungry?” Tony asked, even though he knew Peter had a bag full of snacks on the seat next to him. He didn’t know if his child had eaten them or not.

“No…I’m okay,” Peter said, eyes yet again flickering to Pepper. Why couldn’t she be asleep or have earphones in or something? He felt really embarrassed about saying what was wrong in front of her for some reason. 

Tony frowned because he could clearly see that something was going on with his little boy. It was like pulling teeth because whatever it was that Peter was dealing with he wasn’t being fore-coming with him at all today. He was all set to ask JARVIS when the A.I. Suddenly started speaking on his own accord, thankfully through the earpiece.

“As per the baby monitor protocol, the child’s bladder capacity has reached 73% capacity sir,” JARVIS said promptly.

“Of course,” Tony murmured out, shaking his head as Pepper turned to look at him questioningly. “Hey Underoos, I’m gonna pull over into the next rest stop okay? Don’t worry JARVIS will let me know when the next one is coming,” Tony informed him seriously.

“Does he have to use the bathroom? Or is he feeling sick?” Pepper asked in concern as she turned around to check for herself.

“Yeah he needs to use the bathroom,” Tony answered honestly, as he wasn’t aware of Peter’s feeling regarding Pepper knowing..

Peter’s face flushed in his embarrassment because thanks to his Dad, Pepper now knew what was wrong with him. He ducked his head so he wouldn’t meet her eyes as she turned around to look at him. He kept his body as loose as he could, thankful that he wasn’t that desperate, or at least that’s what he was telling himself. He didn’t want to embarrass himself any further than his dad already had. 

“JARVIS, when is the next rest stop coming up?” Tony asked, knowing his A.I. Would answer through the earpiece.

“Not for another 50 miles sir, the rest stop that you just passed is 15 miles back and that is the closest one to your location. However it is unadvisable that you stop and turn around, due to the impending storm,” JARVIS said quickly.

“What storm?” Tony asked worriedly because this was news to him.

“I’ve been tracking a storm for this region, and it’s trajectory suddenly changed in the last hour. If you keep your breaks to a minimum, you’ll have a half-hour window of when you get to the cabin before the storm hits. It’ll be just enough time to bring all the bags in and make sure you have adequate wood inside before it starts,” JARVIS explained truthfully.

“When were you going to tell me this?” Tony asked worried now about the possibility of being caught in this storm. He couldn’t imagine that horror, not to mention Peter it was too horrifying to think about. 

“I hadn’t planned on telling you at all because I knew you would worry. I had no choice now as you were going to go back and we don’t have the time for it,” JARVIS said truthfully.

“Damn it,” Tony hissed out, hating this sudden turn of events.

“What’s wrong?” Pepper asked out, her tone full of concern as she turned to look at Tony.

“There’s a storm headed this way, and we need to keep our breaks to a minimum if we don’t want to be caught in it. I don’t want to be caught in it Pep,” He said seriously.

“Understandable, we’ll do this one-stop for Petey and then just drive the remaining 2 hours without stopping to the cabin,” Pepper said in the same serious tone.

“We can’t even do this stop for Peter,” Tony said out quietly, hoping that his little boy had his headphones on but he was too into his worry to check.

“You have to Tony, he’s a little boy and he can’t wait the two hours,” Pepper pointed out.

“I can’t stop at the rest area, if I do we’ll be caught in the storm,” Tony said with a grimace. They would have to improvise but he wasn’t going to backtrack. 

Peter’s stomach clenched at Tony’s words because this was uncharted territory. His father had never not stopped for him before. He swallowed the lump in his throat that was brought on by the sudden conversation because Pepper was right. He knew he couldn’t hold it 2 more hours he needed to go now.

“You’re not going to stop for me? But I gotta go pee,” the little boy croaked out, trying not to burst into tears. 

Tony winced at his little boy’s tone because he sounded on the verge of tears, and that wasn’t he meant. He was going to stop he just wasn’t going to stop at that rest stop. “I’m going to stop for you bubba, I’m going to pull over as soon as I can, and then you can use the potty chair okay?” Tony said soothingly.

Peter normally didn’t have an issue with the travel toilet, or the potty he normally loved using it but Pepper wasn’t usually in the car with them. This was new all around and he didn’t do very well with change. He shook his head quickly at that suggestion, eyes wide as they flickered to the back of her head. 

“No, I’ll just pee on a tree instead, there are loads of them,” the little boy said hurriedly.

“Kiddo you can’t do that, the temperature outside is very cold right now,” Tony said honestly.

“It’ll be fine, ask JARVIS,” Peter pleaded out, he was sure his father was exaggerating as the inside of the car was toasty.

“Jay, what the temperature outside right now?” Tony asked, not having high hopes for this. He didn’t understand why Peter was fighting to pee outside, normally he loved the travel potty. 

“It’s currently 28 degrees outside, it’s too cold for you to be standing in this weather, let alone for young sir,” JARVIS answered through the car so Peter could hear.

Peter gulped because that was way too cold for him, but he was sure that he could manage. It didn’t take that long to pee after all. “I can do it, I wanna go on a tree,” he insisted.

“That’s an easy no kid, you’re not peeing on a tree, you’ll freeze and I’m not about to let that happen. Your only option at this point is to use the travel toilet, or hold it until you pee your pants. And let me tell you wet pants in this weather will make you sick; besides You don’t want to ruin your holiday before you even found where you’re going do you?” Tony said dryly.

“No,” Peter whispered out tearfully before he fell silent.

Tony pulled to the side of the road when there was some more shoulder room before pulling on his jacket and turning around in his seat to look at his child. His little boy looked miserable and he wanted him to be comfortable and happy again. “Kiddo why are you fighting this? You’ve used the potty hundreds of times,” he said in confusion.

“I don’t want to use it today,” Peter sniffled out, burying his head into his shirt. He didn’t want to explain his thought process because Pepper could hear him loud and clear.

“Why not? Help me understand kid,” Tony pleaded out.

Peter shrugged but didn’t emerge from under his shirt, he couldn’t say anything because Pepper was still right there. He didn’t want her to see him. 

“Okay we’ll we’re doing this, we don’t have a lot of time like I said,” Tony said seriously before he got out of the car making sure to shut his door behind him so the chill couldn’t come in. He headed to the back of the car and opened the hatchback before letting himself inside and shutting that door behind him. He unscrewed the lid from the potty chair and set it to the side before gently prodding his child to climb over the seat.

“I wanna hold it,” Peter begged out.

“That’s a non-option, I was humoring you. Climb over the seat,” Tony said in a firm tone to let his son know he was being serious.

Peter sniffled and obediently climbed over the seat, his eyes flickering up to the front of the car, where he could still see the back of Pepper’s head. His whole body felt hot and he was sure that he would have been able to pee outside and would’ve been fine. His embarrassment would make sure of it. “Please Daddy, I don’t want to,” he blubbered.

“You have to Underoos, you’re capacity is currently at 84%, you won’t be able to hold it that much longer and I know you don’t want an accident. Why are you fighting me on this today? You’ve never kicked up a fuss until now,” He asked in confusion.

“It’s because of me Tony,” Pepper said hurriedly, hating that she had to use her voice. She would have texted him but his phone was up here with her. 

She had been silent this whole exchange as she had figured out pretty quickly what was wrong with Peter. He was embarrassed and it didn’t take a genius(seeing as Tony didn’t get it) to figure out as to why. He hadn’t even informed them that he needed to go, JARVIS had, and that was unusual because Tony said he was always pretty vocal when he needed to go. The logical explanation was her presence. 

Tony had been about to retort that it couldn’t possibly be her when he saw Peter stiffen at Pepper’s words and seemed to hunch down into himself further. Pepper had hit the nail on the head. “Bubs, Pep is your mom she doesn’t care that you have to use the potty buddy and she’s not going to look either,” he said softly.

Peter whined in embarrassment or it could have been his need, he didn’t know at this point, only that his father wasn’t helping him. 

“Okay bad tactic, let me think, Pep throw me that blanket on the seat there please,” Tony requested when it became apparent his son wasn’t calming down as he hoped.

Pepper nodded and tossed back the blanket to Tony, knowing better than to verbally say anything. That wouldn’t help the situation at all.

Tony quickly held the blanket up covering Pepper’s view from Peter not that she was looking but he knew it would make his little boy feel more comfortable. “Okay kid, go pee, I’ve got you covered,” he promised.

Peter nodded, needing no other explanation as he hurriedly pulled his sweats down before he was kneeling in front of the potty. Despite the fact that his father was holding up a blanket in his makeshift stall, the little boy found he still couldn’t go. He was grappling with the anxiety over the fact that she would be able to hear him pee. He squirmed in placed desperately as his bladder tried to release his water but something was holding him back.

“Kiddo, why aren’t you going?” Tony asked, keeping his tone patient. It felt like they were wasting so much time but he didn’t want to rush his son, the little boy was already clamming up as it was.

“I can’t, it won’t come out now,” Peter whimpered, as he strained to push his stream.

“Just take a deep breath and relax, you’re way too tensed right now,” Tony pointed out.

Peter swallowed thickly but he knew that the tension wasn’t going to suddenly go away, especially because Pepper was here and could hear everything. 

Pepper sighed before she put on sounds of running water, the silence was too loud for her and she knew the little boy was probably getting stage fright.

Peter was startled when the sound of water suddenly filled the car and was unable to do anything as his bladder finally let go and into the potty. He sighed loudly at the relief, swaying a bit before holding onto the back of the seat with his free hand.

“Nice job Pep,” Tony said thrilled because Peter was finally relieving himself. He was way into his own relief that his little boy was no longer uncomfortable that he let go of the blanket thinking that it was unneeded now.

“Daddy no!” Peter shrieked, reaching out with his free hand and trying to hold up the fallen blanket and aim at the same time.

“Relax Underoos I got it, focus on aiming, I’ve got the blanket,” Tony said soothingly as he put the blanket back up.

“I hate this,” Peter whispered as he tried to push his stream out faster. He couldn’t wait until they got to the cabin. 

“I know you do kiddo, hopefully, this weekend will allow you to see that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about in front of Pepper. I’m your dad and she’s your mom,” Tony said sincerely, before falling silent as he waited for his child to finish up. 

Peter didn’t verbally reply to his father, waiting impatiently for his stream to finish. When it did he pulled up his sweats and carefully climbed over the seat, before he buckled up and got situated again. He made sure to put his headphones on as he knew his parents were essentially going to be talking about him and he didn’t want to hear it. He would rather live in his ignorance rather than embarrassment. He felt that he had filled that quota today as it is. 

Tony grabbed the lid for the potty chair and screwed It on tight, he couldn’t dump it right now as they would be wasting even more time and they were already pressed as it was. He jumped out of the hatchback and closed it, before hurrying back into the driver’s seat. He used some hand sanitizer before passing it back for his child to use before he checked and pulled back onto the road. 

“Well crisis averted, I’m driving without stopping to the cabin now,” Tony said, ignoring the fact that he and Pepper were both human and would have needs. They were adults and he knew they could hold, having done long stretches in board meetings where they had been unable to go.

“Fine by me, hopefully, he’ll sleep the rest of the way,” Pepper said optimistically.

“Maybe, it also depends on how much he’s been eating and if he’s wearing a pull up too,” Tony pointed out truthfully. 

“What does it matter how much he’s eating?” Pepper asked out curiously. As far she was concerned Peter had been snacking on food that Tony had packed in the little baggy at his feet the entire ride. He ought to be more than full enough to sleep.

“His metabolism is extremely fast for his age, I’m sure you’ve noticed how frequently I feed him,” Tony pointed out.

“Yes, sometimes I think you’re overfeeding him,” Pepper admitted.

“I can assure you that I am not,” Tony said with a small smile. “Just trust me that I know how to take care of that little boy back there. But anyway, he sleeps better when he’s full, and as he’s been snacking he’s far from it,” he added.

Pepper nodded but she didn’t understand what Tony was getting at. If she was being honest, it was like he was being deliberately evasive, almost like he knew something about Peter that she didn’t. 

Which wasn’t far fetched, despite their relationship she wasn’t 100% convinced that Peter wasn’t his biological child, they were too similar. Not that it mattered, she just hated being in the dark. She sighed before pulling out his tablet, figuring she could catch up on her reading.

Tony welcomed the silence, trying to figure out his plan of action, not to mention he wanted to concentrate on the road as it was starting to snow a bit. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, focusing on getting to the cabin in time. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know,” Tony said brightly as he pulled out two packages of spaghetti noodles out of the cabinet.
> 
> “That’s too much, I think we only need the one,” Pepper said quickly as Tony made to open both.
> 
> “No, I know for a fact that one of these isn’t going to be enough. You’ve never been around Peter when he’s eating like a real meal, so you’ll get to experience that tonight. He eats a lot,” Tony said truthfully.
> 
> Pepper frowned because Peter’s body didn’t show that he ate a lot, if anything it was like he barely ate anything. Though she knew was clearly incorrect as she had watched him put away a bag full of snacks in 5 hours, not to mention food that Tony had packed for them. “Okay, we’ll see,” she muttered out, not feeling reassured. She didn’t want him getting sick because Tony allowed him to overeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I don't know how long this story is, because I have so many ideas it's like I want to cram it all into this story so bear with me. I'm trying to keep it under 5, hope yall enjoy this next bit.
> 
> Pepper will be in the know soon, but for now, she's doing what she feels is right, don't be too angry at her.

Tony was very happy two hours later when he turned onto the private driveway, thankful that his workers had left on the lights when they had finished cleaning and filling the house with food. As he parked the car, sighing softly in relief they had made it without any further incident. 

Peter pulled off his headphones and stuck it and his game and all his things back into his backpack. “Do you need me to carry anything Dad?” He asked helpfully.

“No kiddo, I’m good. Why don’t you go straight inside, JARVIS has unlocked it for you,” Tony said not wanting his son to be out in the weather without his snowsuit on. 

“Kay,” Peter chirped before he opened the door, shivering violently from the wind chill before he closed it and ran to the door. He shut the front door behind him, trembling a bit, and was very grateful that the inside of the cabin was very warm and toasty like the car had been.

He kicked off his shoes before dropping his bag to the side and went to explore the small space. He bit his lip thoughtfully as he toured it, he had found only one bathroom that was just off the kitchen and two bedrooms. He swallowed thickly because the thought of there not being enough toilets was giving him anxiety. 

Especially because Pepper was here with them. He glanced back at the front door open before he ducked inside the smaller bedroom, knowing it was his. The walls were covered in Star Wars décor and the plush rugs on the floor were what the media had dubbed Team Iron. The little boy could see a small space heater set up in the middle of his room and directed towards his bed. He pulled off his socks, toes curling at the heated floors, his father always went all out. 

Tony carried all their bags within two trips, locking the door of the car before checking if they needed wood. Thankfully his workers had already taken care of that, and they were fully stocked with wood inside the cabin. He locked the cabin door and rolled his eyes as he grabbed his son’s bag from the floor. He poked his head into the bathroom but his little boy wasn’t there and it didn’t take him long to figure that he was probably checking out his room. 

As he headed towards his son’s room, he heard the sound of the wind picking up outside and he smiled in relief because they had beaten the storm and were safe. He briefly thought about grabbing the potty chair from the car because he still needed to empty it, but it would be safer to wait until tomorrow. It had a lid and the smell would be contained thankfully. As he came to his little boy’s door he knocked once, before letting himself in, smiling as he caught sight of his son. 

“Do you like your room?” Tony asked curiously.

“I love it,” Peter said brightly.

“I’m glad, why don’t you take a shower and I’ll get started on dinner. So by the time you get out and dressed in your flannel footie pajamas, it’ll be ready,” Tony said, wanting his son to be nice and warm.

“Good idea Daddy, what are we having for dinner?” Peter asked curiously.

“Something easy but filling, I think Spaghetti with Meatballs,” Tony said with a nod, it was simple as the meatballs were prepackaged and only needed to be heated up. 

“With bread?” Peter whispered out hopefully.

“Of course, we’re having bread kid, can’t have spaghetti and meatballs without it. You’ll be having your own loaf, of course, to eat to your heart’s content,” Tony added verbally. He knew how Peter could be if he thought that he was eating too much. He always baked two separate loaves of bread, with Peter having his own so they wouldn’t have any issues. 

Personally, Tony thought it was amazing and pretty cool how much food Peter could put away in his stomach. Especially because it never turned into weight, which is the main reason why his 10-year-old was still in a car seat; that and his lack of height. 

Peter nodded excitedly before his eyes went wide in his worry as he realized something important. “What about Miss Pepper? She doesn’t know who I really am, what if she tries to stop me from eating a lot of food?” He asked worriedly, as it was a legit concern. That had happened once at school after his dad had fixed his lunch account. 

It was the day where he had over 25 little tacos at lunch, one of the lunch teachers had tried to prevent him from getting them all, afraid he was going to overeat and get sick. But thankfully the Lunch lady had stepped in and he had proved them all wrong. He shook his head, as he was getting off-topic and he knew it was because it was hungry. 

Tony winced because Peter had a point, but regardless he would have to spin something to Pepper because his child wasn’t going to be going without food. Especially since he had finally gotten used to being full all the time. “I’ll take care of Pepper; you just make sure you eat. JARVIS will fact check you and let me know if you try to get less than your recommended calories. You know what happens if you don’t eat enough,” Tony said firmly.

“I know,” Peter mumbled under his breath. Leave it up to his father to bring that up, he always felt a bit faint when he didn’t eat enough food, and luckily enough he had never passed out thankfully. He didn’t want to imagine how his father would act if he did.

“Shower time, and eat this before you get in it,” Tony said as he held out a protein bar. He knew his son was hungry, he was getting a bit grumpy from where he could tell and he didn’t want him potentially passing out in the shower. 

Peter’s eyes lit up as he grabbed the bar. “Yummy, brownie flavor,” the little boy murmured, already tearing into the package with his teeth as he quickly grabbed his pajamas and headed into the bathroom.

Tony chuckled and followed after his son, detouring to the kitchen where he found Pepper. She already had a pot of water boiling on the stove, and he moved to grab the pasta.

“I’m so excited for this weekend, I just keep thinking about all the fun things we can do with Peter. And all the fun things I can do with just you when he’s asleep,” Pepper gushed excitedly.

“I know,” Tony said brightly as he pulled two packages of spaghetti noodles out of the cabinet.

“That’s too much, I think we only need the one,” Pepper said quickly as Tony made to open both.

“No, I know for a fact that one of these isn’t going to be enough. You’ve never been around Peter when he’s eating like a real meal, so you’ll get to experience that tonight. He eats a lot,” Tony said truthfully.

Pepper frowned because Peter’s body didn’t show that he ate a lot, if anything it was like he barely ate anything. Though she knew was clearly incorrect as she had watched him put away a bag full of snacks in 5 hours, not to mention food that Tony had packed for them. “Okay, we’ll see,” she muttered out, not feeling reassured. She didn’t want him getting sick because Tony allowed him to overeat. 

Tony nodded before he went to quickly make the sauce, it was easier and tastier when he made his own pasta sauce. Especially because he knew exactly what was in it. It was also a way to hide an assortment of blended up vegetables in it, not that Peter had an issue with veggies but it was easier if they were out of sight and in the sauce. 

Seeing as Tony seemed to be on top of everything, Pepper decided to unpack her things, she contemplated taking a shower until she heard Peter in it. She could always take one later when he was sleeping or something, or even take a bath tomorrow. 

A half-hour later found dinner ready and prepared on the dinner table, with Peter in his pajamas, eagerly heading to the kitchen. “It smells so yummy,” the little boy said excitedly, he couldn’t wait to try it.

“It is,” Tony said honestly as he served his son, Pepper, and then himself portions of food. He sat down just as Pepper walked into the kitchen and went to take her seat.

As Pepper walked into the kitchen she noted, albeit unconsciously, how Peter’s plate had damn near a mountain of Spaghetti on it and at least 8 meatballs from where she could see. She glanced at her own plate to note the moderate size amount with 3 meatballs and Tony’s with a bit more than hers but still considerably less than Peter with 4 meatballs. 

Her eye’s widened even more as she caught sight of the entire loaf of garlic bread on another plate near the little boy. It was cut up into slices but she knew the whole thing was for the child as there was another loaf near her and Tony’s plate. She kept her face neutral but inwardly she was frowning, as she knew Peter was going to be so sick tonight. There was no way that little boy would be able to eat all that food and keep it down. 

“Is there Desert Daddy?” Peter asked curiously as he looked over dinner happily. 

“Not tonight, I didn’t have time to make anything. Tomorrow, I’ll make your favorite chocolate cake,” Tony said with an apologetic smile. 

“Can I have some cookies?” Peter countered easily.

“You can have one, and then you’re brushing your teeth right after and going straight to bed. Today was really long and you didn’t sleep in the car so I know you’re tired,” Tony said pointedly.

“Okay,” Peter said with a small shrug because his father was right and he was still getting some kind of dessert.

“Is he going to even be hungry for dessert?” Pepper asked skeptically as she took her seat because there was no possible way he could be.

“He will, it’s only a small cookie,” Tony said with a shrug, not really seeing where Pepper was coming from. 

Once Pepper had finally sat down, Peter picked up his fork to start eating. Sometimes his father got a little annoyed with him if he started eating before everyone got to the table. Though if he was being honest, Aunt May got annoyed if he did that too. He just couldn’t help that he was always ready to eat. He shook the useless thought away and slurped his noodles, unaware of the glances that Pepper kept giving him while he ate. 

Pepper didn’t say anything while she ate, too busy trying to figure out how she was going to approach this conversation with Tony. She just figured she would be direct and to the point, that way Tony wouldn’t be able to ignore it. She knew she needed to wait until after Peter was in bed, which is why once dinner was done, she offered to do the dishes while Tony went to tuck the little boy in his bed.

There wasn’t a lot as Tony had washed up as he cooked, basically all she did was after loading the dishwasher she turned it on and headed to the bedroom. She arrived before Tony, and simply grabbed her phone, and took a seat on the bed to wait for him. She didn’t have to wait long, as Tony walked in maybe ten minutes later.

“Can we talk honey?” Pepper asked quietly. 

“About what?” Tony asked carefully, trying to think back if he had forgotten to do something. 

“Peter’s food intake,” Pepper said directly, watching silently as he narrowed before he moved to shut the door. 

“What about it?” Tony asked slowly, wondering what she was getting at. He had a hunch, he knew she wasn’t blind and had clearly seen Peter eat all of his dinner and had even gone back for seconds.

“It’s too much for a child his size,” Pepper said softly, not feeling as confident as she had, especially since Tony wasn’t making this easy for her.

“No, it’s not, it’s under control,” Tony said quickly as he walked over to the dresser to grab his night clothes.

Pepper frowned at his non-answer because she didn’t understand how it could be under control, clearly Tony was overfeeding Peter. Why couldn’t he see that? Maybe she had to try another approach, she just didn’t want him getting defensive.

“Are we really not going to talk about this? Peter is going to be sick tonight,” Pepper replied honestly. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as he turned on the white noise because they weren’t even ready for bed yet. What was he doing?

“Why do you think he’s going to be sick? Did he say something to you?” Tony asked, a bit worried, and wondering if he should ask JARVIS to check. The A.I. hadn’t said anything at all regarding Peter feeling sick.

“No, but it’s not that hard to guess. Did you see how much food you put on his plate and his own loaf of bread? And if that wasn’t enough you allowed him to go back for seconds,” Pepper said frazzled at this point in time. It didn’t add up, and she didn’t want to be woken up by a sick child, not that she would ignore him. It was just, preventable and she didn’t like it.

“Honey, I promise you that Peter is not overeating, I did not overfeed him at dinner tonight. And I can also promise you that he will not get sick tonight either,” Tony said with a soft sigh.

“How do you know?” Pepper asked dryly, not convinced.

“Because I know my kid, and I know his health as well. His metabolism is a lot faster than mine, yours, and any other kid his age. He needs to eat more, and often for him to be at his best. You need to trust that I know what I’m doing when it comes to Peter. He’s been checked out by both Helen and Bruce, and they have assured me that what am I doing is correct,” Tony said carefully.

“So how many calories does he need to consume in one day?” Pepper asked in the same careful tone.

“Maybe 4,000,” Tony said slowly, keeping quiet that it was much more than that but he knew better than to say so. That was enough that realistically an unenhanced human could still eat and be fine, so that’s what he went with. 

“4000 calories? Right, okay next question then,” Pepper said scoffing because there was no effing way that little boy was eating 4000 calories per day. He would be a blimp not to mention have an eating disorder of some sort. It was clear that Tony wasn’t going to be honest with her so she would need to do some sly research of her own. “Why is the house so warm?” She asked curiously, that was simple enough. She was in a t-shirt and a pair of Tony’s boxers it was so hot in here.

“Peter gets cold easily, I told you this in the car,” Tony said frowning.

“That doesn’t make sense if he’s eating as much as he is, and not gaining any weight. And at the same time, he’s not creating any insulation on his body, then we have a serious problem on our hands. What is wrong with my child? What aren’t you telling me, Tony?” Pepper asked bluntly.

Tony sighed before he rubbed his hand down his face because he couldn’t answer that right now. Peter was nearly asleep if JARVIS was to be believed and he was, and he wasn’t about to expose his son’s secret without talking to him first. “Honey, it’s late, I promise you tomorrow we can talk about this, but I drove 6 hours, and beat a storm. I’m tired, and I’m not up for big explanations right now. I’ll explain everything Tomorrow alright,” he said lightly.

“Goodnight Tony,” Pepper said quietly, guess she was going to bed now. She didn’t say anything else as she got into bed, charging her phone before she turned off the lamp on her side. She turned her back to him as she laid down, covering herself up with the blanket.

Tony breathed loudly through his nose, as he got dressed for bed and shut off his own light. The fun hadn’t even started yet, and they were already fighting, he hoped that he and Peter would be able to come to a solution because this hiding the fact that Peter was Spider-Man from Pepper wasn’t working. He didn’t want to lose his fiancée in the process of keeping his son’s secret. 

~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, after a terrible sleep found Pepper waking up around 7 am to a quiet house, she knew even without checking that both Peter and Tony were both still asleep. After their small fight last night, Pepper didn’t know what to think, Tony was clearly lying to her and had been for a while. She sighed quietly before gathering up her clothes for the day, planning on having that bath, despite her shower last night. 

She really could use a good soak, and it would help her clear her head after everything. Supposedly Tony was going to explain everything truthfully today, but she had her doubts about it. Hopefully, the day would go a lot smoother than last night, if not she would just call it quits and get herself a flight out of here. 

Tony would probably enjoy that even more because then he didn’t have to keep his lie up with her gone. Shaking her head, Pepper went inside the bathroom and locked the door, as she didn’t want Tony getting any ideas as she was still mad at him. She turned on the water and added her salts and bubbles, planning on having a long soak. Due to the pressure and the multiple taps, it didn’t take long for the tub to fill up, and she got inside of it. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, willing herself to relax in the warm bath. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Peter's eyes snapped open suddenly unsure of what woke him up, turning to roll over before hissing as he became aware of the intense pressure in his lower abdomen. His pull up was wet, but it wasn’t soaked like it normally would be, given that he really had to go. He gingerly got out of bed, hand going to his crotch as a precaution as he walked out of his room and towards the bathroom. 

He tensed as he got closer because he could hear splashing behind the door so he knew someone was in it. He hoped it was his Dad because then he could barge on in without having to wait. He gave a sharp knock with his free hand, waiting impatiently for whoever it was to answer him.

Pepper turned at the knock, frowning because she hoped it wasn’t Tony trying to play nice today. She couldn’t be bothered at the moment, not when she was relaxing. “Who is it?”

Peter’s heart jumped into his throat at the sound of the voice that was definitely not his Daddy! He swallowed thickly before clearing his throat because he knew he had to answer her. “Sorry Miss Pepper, I thought you were Dad,” the little boy said hurriedly, as he took a step back from the door.

Pepper startled a bit because she had assumed that Peter would take the opportunity to sleep in, but then again, she didn’t really know the child that well, that was the whole point of this trip. “No, he’s still asleep, did you need something?” She asked gently.

“No, just Daddy,” Peter said quickly before he turned and walk away from the door.

He walked around the cabin, looking for his potty chair, hoping his father had brought it in. He circled the inside of the small house twice before the little boy came to the conclusion that the potty chair was still in the car. By now, his little bladder was throbbing and he found his feet unwillingly making their way back to the sole bathroom in hopes that she would be out by now. 

As he got closer, he saw that she was still in there, and unable to voice his need, he was just going to suffer in silence. He grabbed his crotch with both of his hands and bounced up and down desperately in place, praying that she would come out soon. 

JARVIS was watching as he always was, and when it became apparent that his creator’s child wasn’t going to voice his need, he knew what his protocols demanded. And as much as sir needed the rest, the young one needed him more. “Sir, wake up, the child is in distress,” he said in his calm British lilt. 

Tony groaned as he was roused from one of the best nights of sleep of his life, wondering how on earth Peter could be in distress this early. “What’s wrong?” He mumbled out, sitting on the side of the bed and running a hand over his face to clear the sleep from his eyes.

“His bladder capacity currently sits at 87% and Miss Pott’s is currently in the bathroom, and he doesn’t seem for coming to ask her if he can come in,” JARVIS said honestly. 

Tony bit back a swear and closed his eyes once before he stood up, it was way too early for this. He did however quickly make his way out of his room and towards the bathroom as he knew his son was nearing his limit. He swallowed back another curse as he caught sight of the elaborate potty dance his child was doing.

Peter turned to look at his father, his face a mixture between a grimace and desperation as he was unable to move from his spot. “I need to go; I need to go Daddy!” He exclaimed frantically, not even beating around the bush.

“I know you do bubs,” Tony said calmly before he walked over to the bathroom door and gave it a firm knock. “Honey, can you unlock the door? Peter needs to use the bathroom,”

“Of course, just give me a minute,” Pepper said quickly, as she wasn’t deaf. 

She had heard Peter damn near screeching that he was having a bathroom emergency and she didn’t want to be the reason for him to have an accident. That wouldn’t help anything at this point, and she didn’t know how Tony would react to that either. She climbed out of the tub and grabbed her towel so she could quickly wrap it around her, before deciding to just put on her robe. 

Peter was doing everything he could to keep his pants dry, marching, jumping, and was damn near crying because it was an emergency and she wasn’t coming out. “I want my potty chair in my room, please Daddy,” the little boy begged out shamelessly.

“We’ll see,” Tony said quietly, wishing he had brought it in last night. That was on him, however, he didn’t want to put the potty chair in his son’s room because he knew Peter wouldn’t tell him when it was full. He was forgetful like that as he was a child and he didn’t want any mishaps with it.

“It’s coming out Daddy,” Peter whimpered desperately, his breaths hitching as he tried to prevent the inevitable.

Before Tony could say anything or knock again the bathroom door open wide and picked his child up from under his armpits and hurried him into the bathroom and towards the toilet. Not wanting to risk anything, he unzipped his son’s footie pajamas and nearly ripped them in his haste to get them down.

Peter had only a moment to pull his wet goodnight down before he turned around and plopped his backside on the toilet, pushing his little member down right as his forceful stream started. It hit the water below loud and strong and the little boy slumped down on the toilet from the relief. He didn’t care at this point that Pepper was still in the bathroom, just focusing on the fact that he had not had an accident this morning.

“Whew, that was an extremely close call, thanks for opening the door honey,” Tony said with a smile as he turned to look at his fiancée.

Pepper didn’t smile back, her bath had done wonders for her mood but she was still feeling hurt that Tony didn’t trust her enough to share details about a child that she had basically adopted. “Of course, I’ll just get out of your way. If you need me. I’ll be making breakfast,” she said quietly before grabbing her clothes and exiting out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Tony frowned because though Pepper hadn’t made a face or anything at him, she hadn’t smiled in return, so he knew she was still upset about last night. He groaned before he leaned against the sink as he waited for his son to finish. 

Peter’s forceful stream soon turned into a trickle before it finally stopped. He pushed off the wet pull up and tossed it in the trashcan next to the toilet before opening one of the drawers on the sink to grab a clean pair of undies. “What’s wrong Dad?” Peter asked curiously hearing the groan from his father as he got redressed in his pajamas. 

“A little complication, I’ll talk to you about it after I shower,” Tony answered truthfully, hoping the hot water could clear his head. “Why don’t you head to the kitchen, Pepper is whipping up some food for us,” he said easily.

“Okay,” the little boy chirped before he passed by his father and walked out of the bathroom, shutting it behind him. He could smell that his new mom was making porridge and he thought it was a good idea since it was so cold outside. He wondered how she would make hers as Daddy like to put honey, and milk in his and sometimes fruit too. With that thought in mind, he hurried to the kitchen.

“Morning,” he said happily as he took a seat at the table in the same chair he had sat in last night. 

“Good morning sweetheart,” Pepper said with a fond smile, even though she was annoyed with Tony she knew that the child in question had done nothing wrong. She heard the shower so she knew Tony wouldn’t be joining them right now, which was fine as that meant she could serve Peter his correct portion without overeating. Though she hadn’t heard him being sick last night, she had also slept with earplugs so she didn’t hear much of anything either. She grabbed a small bowl and ladled enough porridge in the bowl that she thought would be the correct amount for a child his size and added a small bit of cream inside of it before she set it down in front of him. She then went to serve herself some breakfast.

Peter grabbed his spoon and went to put it into his bowl, frowning as he saw the portion she had given him. “Miss Pepper, you didn’t give me enough, could I get some more?” He asked politely, being mindful of his manners, he didn’t want his father mad at him after all.

“How about you finish what you have first, and then if you still want some more we can go from there?” Pepper countered gently.

“Okay,” Peter said easily with a slight shrug. He had a hunch that she probably didn’t believe that he could eat a lot of food, even though she saw him put away dinner last night. Sometimes May even served him less until he reminded her because his small size didn’t mean anything. His metabolism needed much more food than what was recommended for a non-enhanced child in his age bracket. 

Peter stirred his oatmeal before making sure it was not too hot before he started eating it. It was really good, it was sweetened with maple syrup and it had bits of apple and cinnamon in it. Peter tried to pace himself but it was too delicious and he finished up his small portion in record time. He stood up with his empty bowl and made his way over to the woman. “Can I have more now please?” He asked hopefully. 

Pepper was in some shock at the speed in which the little boy had eaten his food. She was worried that he had eaten way too fast to even taste it. She was flattered that he thought it was good, but wary of giving him anymore. “You ate that really fast, why don’t you wait a bit, and see how that settles into your tummy first?” She asked, she hadn’t even eaten half of her bowl yet.

Peter frowned then because her tone spoke volumes even if she didn’t. He knew then that she wasn’t planning on giving him any more food. He swallowed thickly and didn’t say anything before he placed his bowl in the sink and turned and headed to his room. He hoped his bag still had snacks in it from yesterday, as until his father came out of the shower he knew he wasn’t getting any food. He knew the man wouldn’t allow her to starve him, he just needed to hold out until his Daddy came into the kitchen and realized what was wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where…where will you and Momma be?” Peter croaked out.
> 
> Tony’s eyes snapped down to look at his son once he heard the tone, not to mention JARVIS updating him on how his child’s heartbeat had suddenly sped up in his panic. And if he didn’t have those two signs, it would have been the fact that Peter had called Pepper mom. He only seemed to call her that when he was stressed or upset.
> 
> “Underoos, we’re going to be in the parent’s section outside watching you the whole time,” Tony told his son gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took forever to get out, I had my final assessment for this semester due this past Friday, and then I got sucked into the Harry Potter fandom, and then when I somehow managed to claw my way out, I fell into the Team Iron Man rabbit hole, and I honestly don't know how I got out of there. I still feel it trying to get me back, but I digress enjoy this.

Tony got dressed and made his way out of the bathroom, making his way into the kitchen. He was surprised to only see Pepper at the breakfast table, glancing around and failing to locate his son. “Did bubs already eat?” He asked curiously, as he looked in the full pot of oatmeal and grabbed his bowl.

“He did,” Pepper answered lightly. 

“Did he get enough? Usually when I make oatmeal, we finish the whole pot but we still have a lot in here,” Tony said as he furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

“I served him enough, he did ask for more but I told him to wait and let that settle in his stomach first,” Pepper replied honestly, not going to lie about this.

Tony froze from where he had been about to sit down, turning to look at Pepper with an expression of disbelief because what had she done? “JARVIS?” He asked weakly, feeling his heart beating frantic in his chest, because he just knew it wasn’t going to be good news. 

“He’s lethargic, confused and has a rapid heart beat and he is currently slumped against the wall. His sugar levels are extremely low,” JARVIS answered out loud so that Ms. Potts could hear what she had inadvertently caused. 

“Fuck,” Tony hissed out, as he hurried back over to the stove, and after scooping more oatmeal into his bowl, he grabbed a spoon from the table and ran towards his son’s room.

Pepper followed a little bit slower, her heart in her throat and her stomach in knots because evidently Tony wasn’t overfeeding him like she had thought. She watched from the doorway, feeling like she was intruding, especially since she had caused this.

“Kiddo,” Tony breathed out as he quickly grabbed his son and took a seat on the floor, making sure to lean the weak child against his chest.

Peter was breathing heavily, though he did manage to give a weak smile because had been right. The downside was, he was too hungry and incoherent to form any sentences so he only opened his mouth so his father could spoon in some oatmeal. He was unable to hold his head up as it lolled to the side. 

“You’re okay honey, just chew and swallow, Daddy has you,” Tony whispered soothingly as he fed his child his breakfast, keeping his head propped up against his chest. He hadn’t yet experienced Peter full blown passing out from hunger and didn’t want too. Him getting to weak to stand or talk was scary enough as it was, he would need to set up another protocol on the alerts. 

Peter followed the mantra of chew, don’t choke and swallow as his father fed him, his heart beat calming down to a steady pace as his sugar levels went up. 

Tony’s eyes flashed up to Pepper who he could see had an apologetic look on her face from where she was hovering in the doorway. “Now do you see why I feed him the way I do?” He asked tightly, feeling overwrought and angry that she hadn’t believed him and had hurt their child because of it.

“I do, is he diabetic then?” Pepper asked softly.

“No he’s not,” Tony said shortly, before he turned to look at his son, after giving him the last spoonful of oatmeal. He knew it wouldn’t be enough but at least the danger of his child falling unconscious was gone. “I’ll explain what’s going on after I get him fed and situated, meet me in our room,” he said quietly, watching silently as she nodded and left.

“She didn’t given enough food in the bowl and then she wouldn’t let me have seconds either. She was starving me Daddy,” Peter whispered out once Pepper had gone and he could talk again.

Tony blew out a breath as he set the empty bowl down and turned his child around so he could hug him. “We may have to let Pepper in on the secret kiddo, she thinks that I’m overfeeding you because a child your age should be eating less then what you do. And she doesn’t understand, and I want to prevent any more problems such as this one in the future. I have to be able to trust her with you, and at the moment I don’t,” he admitted out.

“Oh,” Peter whispered out thoughtfully. That made sense, but at the same time he didn’t like change. “What if she doesn’t let me be Spider-Man anymore?” He asked worriedly, it was a legit fear, especially because he was only 10 years old. He was only Spider-Man with his Dad and though he had never gone out by himself yet he knew that Pepper might convince his father that what he was doing wasn’t okay. 

“She won’t, she doesn’t have a say over that,” Tony promised him, though if he was being honest he wished his son didn’t want to be a superhero either. But since Peter was strong-willed, he made allowances, he just couldn’t go out on patrol alone, at least not until he was 16. “It will help her knowing buddy, but I won’t tell her if you don’t want me too,” he added.

Peter sighed because he knew that keeping secrets wouldn’t help any relationship grow and he didn’t want to be responsible for Mr. Stark and Ms. Pepper breaking up. “Okay, you can tell her,” he said softly. 

“Great, I’ll tell her after I get you some food, now what sounds good?” Tony asked his son as he finally stood up with the little boy in his arms, and headed to the kitchen.

“Breakfast sandwiches,” Peter said slowly as he thought about it.

“So ham, egg, and cheese?” Tony asked as he set his son down on the counter and went to her refrigerator to grab what he needed it. 

“Yeah,” Peter said happily as he leaned over to grab a protein bar that he knew was hidden in a drawer.

“How many do you want?” Tony asked, as he got the frying pan out, and put the burner on, before going to grab everything from the fridge.

“3 please,” Peter replied politely from where he was munching on his bar. “Can I eat in my room while you guys talk?” He asked hopefully, as he guessed that they’re might be some raised voices and he didn’t want to be around for that. 

“No, we’re going to go in our room and turn the sound machine on, which means you shouldn’t be able to hear much of anything,” Tony said carefully, he wasn’t planning on yelling at her. It was an honest mistake and he could understand why she did what she had done.

“Then can I bring my tablet out here?” Peter asked, figuring he could cover the noise with his headphones, as he was still convinced that there would be yelling involved. 

“Yeah bubs you can,” Tony said as he whipped up the three breakfast sandwiches. It didn’t take long to make them, and he had them prepared and on a plate for his son. He carried the plate to the kitchen table, before grabbing his child and sitting him on the chair.

Peter grinned before he went to grab his tablet, putting his headphones on as he saw his father disappear into his room.

Tony took a breath to calm himself, flicking on the sound machine by the door before walking over to the one on the dresser and turning it on as well. He turned to face Pepper who was sitting on the bed with an ashen look on her face. Her face was abnormally pale and made her freckles stand out a bit more, and made her look more vulnerable. Tony wanted to comfort her, but first he needed to explain what was going on.

“What’s wrong with him?” Pepper asked softly, unsure if her voice would carry over the sound machines, again confused as to why both of them were on but she had other important things to worry about.  
“Nothing, he’s just…Peter’s enhanced Pepper,” Tony said bluntly. “You’ve heard some small inklings about a new Superhero in Queens who Iron Man has taken under his wing. That’s Pete,” Tony said quietly.

Pepper gasped, her hand coming to cover up her mouth in horror because what the hell had Tony just said? “He’s 10 Tony,” she said faintly.

“I know, which is why he doesn’t go without me ever, until he’s at least 16. I’ve tried to stop to him but he’s very strong willed and he has a great sense of what’s right and wrong. At least this way I can set up rules,” Tony said with a small shrug.

“We’re coming back to that, what do you mean he’s enhanced? Is that why he needs to eat so much food?” Pepper asked, not allowing her brain to wander like it wanted too.

“Yes, his metabolism is off the charts, it’s faster than Steve’s and that’s saying something. Remember how I told you that he eats 4000 calories a day? Double that and he eats around that much, and his appetite is only going to grow as he gets bigger. He functions better when he’s constantly snacking, which means he eats often and a lot. That stunt that you did this morning can’t ever happen again, as you saw earlier his body will start to shut down from lack of nutrients,” Tony said seriously.

“It won’t happen again, I’m promise you. I am so sorry it happened in the first place,” Pepper said seriously, vowing to put snacks in her purse for the little boy just in case.

“Good,” Tony said honestly, before he rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what else she needed to know. “That fast metabolism means liquids also run straight through him so this morning is a normal scenario in our house so maybe leave the door unlocked if you can,” He said with casual shrug, because it wasn’t a big deal. Especially with the way the cabin bathroom was set up. The toilet had a separate wall away from the bathtub and the shower wasn’t transparent. 

Pepper nodded that she understood, only hoping that Peter would run in rather than suffer in silence like he had this morning. “What else do I need to know?”

“Remember that snowsuit I said I tweaked for him? He can’t regulate his body temperature anymore, if he’s hot we need to cool him down and if he’s cold we need to warm him up. Because we are out here in the snow, we need to make sure that he dresses in his layers and his suit, because if he gets too cold his body will shut down and he’ll go into hibernation mode,” Tony said quietly.

Pepper’s mouth dropped open at that before she swallowed down her hysteria, because she was terrified of what she had just learned. She now understood why Tony hadn’t wanted her to know, they do say hindsight is 20/20 and she definitely believed that. “Anything else I need to know?” She asked hoarsely.

“Don’t freak out honey, JARVIS is on top of everything, and Peter is wearing a watch specifically made for him that has protocols in place if something were to happen, the only thing I guess you need to know is all his senses are also enhanced,” he said thoughtfully.

“Senses, like taste, sound and smell?” Pepper asked, not sure she had heard right. 

“Yes, has super strength and I know you were wondering about the sound machines; without them he would hear every word we said easily. He also has on his noise cancelling headphones that I made for him, so he hasn’t heard anything of this conversation now,” Tony explained as he walked over to her, and sat down before he placed a hand on her shoulder. He was sure that his comfort would be welcomed now. 

Pepper leaned into Tony’s shoulder, feeling completely out of depth here. She would just follow Tony’s lead, because it felt like she had lost her footing and had no idea how to get it back. “How are you not scared all the time about what could go wrong?” She asked softly.

“I try not to dwell on it, and like I said he’s connected to JARVIS always,” Tony explained with a shrug. 

“What if he takes off the watch?” Pepper pointed out worriedly.

“He hasn’t since I gave it to him, but if he does, I have a tracker on all of his shoes, and his favorite shirts, his phone and a few other things of his. The point is he’s covered honey, I won’t let anything happen to him,” Tony said fondly.

Pepper smiled at that because she was glad for once that Tony went overboard with Peter. She felt like she could breathe easier, she leaned against him before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, I’m going to go apologize to him,” she said softly.

Tony nodded easily as he kissed her back before he stood up. “He’ll appreciate that, I’m going to go grab his clothes for today,” he said knowing he would need to layer his son up. 

Pepper smiled, before walking out of the bedroom with Tony, only she headed to the kitchen. As she got closer, she could see Peter’s eyes flickering around for a bit before they landed on her, and despite the wariness in his expression she was glad to note there wasn’t any fear. She touched her ear gently, as she sat down, silently asking him to remove the headphones.

Peter took off the headphones slowly, wondering where his father had gone. He hadn’t listened but he knew that his father had told her what she needed to know. He only hoped she wouldn’t try that stunt again; he didn’t like feeling weak from lack of food.

“I’m really sorry Peter, I know what I did was wrong. And Tony explained everything to me, and I will never do that again, I promise,” Pepper said sincerely, hoping that she hadn’t messed up her relationship with the little boy.

“It was really scary, but since you promise not to do it again, I forgive you,” Peter said with a simple shrug. He always found it hard to hold a grudge against someone he loved, especially because Pepper had made an honest mistake. 

“Thank you, sweet heart,” She said with a small smile.

“Where’s Dad?” Peter asked curiously.

“Picking out clothes for you,” Pepper answered honestly.

“Will you let me in the secret about where we’re going today?” Peter asked slyly.

“Nope, you’ll know soon enough,” Pepper said in amusement at the coy smile the little boy was giving her. She wanted to tell him but she knew Tony wanted to surprise him, besides if the child really thought about it, it was pretty obvious. She was thankfully saved from the little boy’s puppy dog eyes as Tony walked into the kitchen. 

“If you’re finish kiddo, come get dressed in the living room. I want to show you what you need to wear today to be safe,” he said, walking over to the wall to turn down the cabin on low. Once Peter got into his outside clothes, he didn’t want him overheating. 

“What do I need to wear?” Peter asked curiously as he didn’t want to be cold.

“An undershirt, thermal long johns, your clothes for today, with a sweater on top before putting on your snowsuit and of course thick socks,” Tony said as he showed each article of clothing to his son.

Peter chewed his bottom lip silently because it was a lot of layers, and it was giving him a little anxiety because how would he take them all off in a bathroom emergency. What if they weren’t warm enough for him? What if he froze still?

Tony frowned, looking at his watch to see his son’s heartbeat rising, before he reaching a hand out to pull his son close to him. “Kiddo, what’s wrong? Why are we upset?”

“What if I still freeze in it?” Peter whispered out in fear.

“You won’t, your suit has a heater in in, and that will protect you, along with your layers,” Tony said calmly.

“What I need to go to the bathroom then? How will I get out?” Peter said with a grimace, thinking about how if he had an accident in his snowsuit it would short circuit it out and then he could freeze.

“Daddy will help you, and so will Pepper, it’s going to be okay kid. You can wear a pull up if you want too,” Tony said soothingly, inwardly shaking his head as his lack of hindsight. He should have made an easy crotch opening like he had done to the child’s suit, oh well the next version of the snow suit would have it. 

Peter nodded silently to that suggestion; he would feel a lot safer if he had on a just in case pull up. It wasn’t like anyone was going to know that he had one on, nor would they be able to see it. He took a deep breath, choosing not to let his anxiety in the way at this moment. “Okay I’m ready to get dressed,” he told his father.

Tony nodded as he went to grab a pull up, making sure that was on before he started the painstakingly slow task of getting his child into his layers. 

Peter was silent through it all, he trusted his father after all. But he became aware when his father finally zipped up his suit, just where they were going!

“Are we gonna go skiing?” He asked out excitedly.

“We are, what gave it away?” Tony said with a wide grin.

“It’s a lot of layers and we are in the snow, it just made sense,” Peter giggled out.

“We are heading to the ski lodge about a five-minute drive from the cabin, once there you’re going to be in a small introductory ski class where they teach you the basics, and then after you’ll go on the mountain with me and Pep,” Tony explained.

“Wow,” Peter said eagerly. “Do I get my own helmet?” He asked curiously, choosing to ignore the bit about his father telling him he had a class. He was sure that it wasn’t anything and that his parents would be right there with him. 

The most important thing to him in that moment was his own helmet, as he had remembered going to a snow lodge with Ned and his family and having to rent a helmet when they tried snowboarding. The helmet fit weird and was uncomfortable, and he remembered how he wished he could get his own personal one to fit his head. 

“Of course, you can pick out the one you want, once we get there,” Tony promised his child as he stood up and went to get dressed in his own warm weather gear.  
“Have you ever gone skiing before Petey?” Pepper asked curiously.

“Nope, it’s gonna be a new experience for me,” the little boy answered out a bit shyly. 

“I hope you enjoy it; you have a great sense of balance so I think you will,” Pepper said lightly.

Peter grinned because he hoped that his abilities gave him a bit of an edge and helped him with his learning curve. He was glad when his father came back into the living room and headed for the door. Peter was super excited, not even his apprehension at possibly freezing could stop him. He noted as soon as he stepped outside in the cold, that only his nose, and mouth and eyes were truly exposed. 

And once he got his goggles on and his scarf fixed it would only be his nose, and he wasn’t even cold! He relaxed and got into the back seat of the warmed car, buckling up as his father shut his door behind him. 

“How long will we ski today?” Peter asked easily.

“Until lunch, and it depends on how we all feel after we eat,” Tony said carefully, keeping quieting that it only really depended on how tired his son would be after lunch. He might need a nap after the full morning of play, they didn’t know which is why it was up in the air on the rest of the day. 

“Okay,” Peter said before quieting as he looked at the window as his dad the drove the short drive to the lodge. 

Tony parked the car, and then ushered his little family into the snow lodge, happy to note how warm it was inside. He handed Pepper the small bag with Peter’s things in it before taking his son’s hand and heading over to the gear rental, where he got his son situation with some child sized skis.

“I’ll grab some drinks,” Pepper said as she turned to head towards the café.

“Okay honey,” Tony called back, before he turned to face the attendant at the gear rentals. 

Peter was looking around the lodge in excitement, because the place that he was in was very different from the one that he had gone with Ned and his family. This one screamed that it was only for the wealthy, and he wasn’t super sure how to feel about it. At least not until his wandering eyes landed on a cool helmet, no way!

“Daddy, I want that helmet, that one over there!” Peter said excitedly as he gently tugged on his father’s arm so the man could see it for him.

Tony turned to where his son was gesturing and made to ask which one before he smirked because he knew which one it was immediately. “We can get that one kiddo,” he assured him knowing his little boy loved wearing his father’s merchandise. 

Tony was just glad that Peter wasn’t fighting the fact that he needed to wear a helmet so he counted that as a win. Tony made sure to point the helmet and goggles set, before adjusting it to his son’s head and making sure it fit. 

“Thanks Daddy, when do we go out into the snow?” Peter asked eagerly, sipping his warm hot chocolate happily.

“In a little bit, your class will be starting in about 10 minutes,” Tony informed his child easily.

Peter froze for a half of a second at his father’s words, his heart beating faster then it had been only a minute ago. “Class?” The little boy said out softly, trying to keep his worry to himself. 

“Yup, remember I touched on this before we left the cabin? It’s to show you the basics and fundamentals of skiing, like how to steer and stop and what you do when you go down hill and safety,” Tony explained, he had remembered getting his class privately when he was a kid. But he knew that Peter did better when the attention wasn’t directly on him, hence why he was getting a group class.

“Where…where will you and Momma be?” Peter croaked out.

Tony’s eyes snapped down to look at his son once he heard the tone, not to mention JARVIS updating him on how his child’s heartbeat had suddenly sped up in his panic. And if he didn’t have those two signs, it would have been the fact that Peter had called Pepper mom. He only seemed to call her that when he was stressed or upset.

“Underoos, we’re going to be in the parent’s section outside watching you the whole time,” Tony told his son gently.

“You’re not going to leave me?” Peter whispered shakily.

“Of course not, and right after your class, we’ll all go skiing together,” Tony promised his little boy.

Peter took a deep breath and nodded slowly, willing his heart to calm down. He wasn’t getting abandoned by his father the man just wanted him to know ski safety or something he said. He really needed to stop jumping to the worst case scenarios, his anxiety really knew how to ruin a mood. 

“Okay, let’s go get Momma and let her know of the plan,” he said softly, trying to keep the panic at bay. He also didn’t want Pepper to suddenly decide that she wanted to wait inside. He didn’t think he could handle them being inside the lodge where he couldn’t see them. 

“She knows the plan, but you can remind her if you want,” Tony said soothingly as he kept his arm around his son’s shoulder and led him back to where they had left Pepper and their personal gear. 

Peter felt like he needed to get back in control of his anxiousness and he was definitely going to remind his mom. “Daddy says my class is about to start and that you and him will be sitting outside watching okay?” He said seriously.

“We will, I plan on taking the best pictures,” Pepper promised him easily, her eyes flickering up to Tony’s in confusion at the sudden shift in their child’s mood. 

“Kay, that’s good,” Peter said not even caring that she was taking potential embarrassing pictures. He knew that it meant that she would stick around even if he embarrassed himself. He was just thrilled that she was going along with it. 

“Come on kid,” Tony said gently as he moved to lead his son outside, shaking his head briefly at Pepper. He would talk to her once he had gotten Peter situated. 

He walked his son outside where it was thankfully a cheerful young man would be teaching Peter’s class. He set the child’s skis on the ground next to his son’s foot, before turning the boy to show where the parents would be sitting. “We’ll be over there the whole time,” he promised as he kissed the top of his child’s hair before handing him his helmet and taking a step back.

Peter nodded silently, taking a deep breath before he moved away from his Dad to let him know he was good to go. He put his helmet on, choosing to leave his goggles off as he turned to face his instructor.

Once Peter had moved on his own, Tony turned to head back over to the bench where Pepper was sitting, taking a seat next to her his eyes on his son. 

“He’s really attached,” Pepper said quietly, as she watched Peter turn around a few times before the class started to make sure that they hadn’t moved.

“He’s had a lot of loss in his life, sometimes he still thinks he’s dreaming about everything. I’m here to remind him that he’s got me, and that’s its not a dream,” Tony admitted truthfully.

Pepper nodded silently, not having anything to say to that at the moment. She was however glad when the instructor managed to bring Peter out of his shell and even got a giggle out of the little boy. She pulled out her phone, she hadn’t been kidding, she had been planning on taking plenty of videos and pictures.

Peter was happy to note that the class turned out to be really fun, and he didn’t even keep looking back at his parents to know that they were there. He didn’t know why he had been so anxious in the first place, after waving good bye to his new friends and instructor, he turned and glided to where his parents were on his skis. “Didja see me?” He asked excitedly.

“We did, you were amazing kiddo,” Tony said proudly.

“I think I’m ready to do the mountain now Daddy,” Peter said bravely.

“I think so too,” Tony said, figuring they could go up the ski lift on the beginner trails. 

“Are we all gonna ride the ski lift?” Peter asked curiously.

“We are, you’ll sit in the middle of me and Momma,” Tony informed him.

“Kay,” Peter said, that way he would have no worries about potentially falling or something. 

As the little boy followed after his parents, he grimaced as he became aware of a small urge in his abdomen. He had been ignoring it during his ski lesson, as there was no way he had been going to ask to use the bathroom. He felt a bit embarrassed about the whole class of new kids knowing he needed to go. He didn’t say anything because they were at the ski lift, and it wasn’t that bad. 

He also was excited to finally see his father ski, and he hoped that he would be able to copy what the man did. As the little boy sat snuggled between his parents on the ski lift up the mountain, he was really regretting his juice he had at breakfast, even if the urge wasn’t that bad, he just knew how things could escalate if he focused on it, especially his bladder.  
  
He had to be really careful that he didn’t squirm otherwise their chair would rock and he didn’t want anyone to accidentally fall. Peter was just happy when it was their stop and he was able to get off the gondola. 

“Alright bubs, I’m going to go down first and I’ll stop halfway down the mountain and wait for you,” Tony told his child seriously.

“Kay, I’ll follow right after you,” Peter said pushing his bladder to the back of his mind. This was way more important, especially because he had so many layers on. He knew it would take way too much time to go to the actual bathroom and then have to take everything off just to put everything back on. As long as it didn’t get too bad, JARVIS wouldn’t alert his Dad.

Tony nodded, before he turned around and expertly skied down the mountain, stopping at the flat point in the middle of it. He refrained from doing any fancy tricks as he didn’t want his impressionable young son to follow after him and attempt them as well. 

Once his father had stopped and was clearly waiting for him, Peter took what he had learned an hour before and followed after his father. He wasn’t sure if it was his reflexes, or just his coordination, whatever it was, skiing was a breeze. He laughed as he went down the mountain fast, the wind whipping in his ears. He giggled as he came to an expert stop next to his father, pulling up his goggles so the man could see the excitement in his eyes. 

“That was so awesome!” He screeched out happily, the adrenaline coursing through his body.

“That was amazing kiddo, you’re a pro,” Tony said proudly, in clear awe of his son. He turned to watch Pepper gracefully ski down towards them, a smile on his own face. He was so glad that Peter had enjoyed his first run. “Come on, lets all go down together, and then head back up on the lift,” he said before he turned to head down the mountain, knowing the competitive streak in his little boy would make him follow directly after him.

Peter pulled his goggles down again before turned a moment after his father, catching up to him easily, due to his smaller body disposition, grinning as he went over a small hill, eyes wide behind his goggles, as he got some airtime. He landed perfectly, as he weaved from side to side like his father, before they ended way to soon back down hill.

“Again!” He said excitedly, tugging on his father eagerly.

“Alright kiddo, and don’t think I didn’t see you going over a hill,” Tony said in a mock stern tone.

“He had full control honey,” Pepper said in amazement.

“I know,” Tony said ever the proud father, before he turned to his family to head over to the ski lifts to go back up.

Peter was heaven as he followed his father back over to the gondola, taking that time to check out the different skill levels on the mountain terrain they had. They were on the beginner level, but he couldn’t wait until they moved up. He knew from the way his parents had skied that they were clearly experts on skies and he wanted to be an expert too. He was super happy that he was allowed to experience this. 

He shook the thought away, knowing he would get there one day before focusing on the now. They had made it back up the hill and it was time to head back down, this time without stopping. 

That’s basically how the morning went, the little family went up and down the hills for about 3 hours, stopping a few times to rehydrate, warm up, or eat a couple snacks to keep their little boy healthy. By the time lunchtime rolled around, Peter was glad that they were on their last run. His bladder who he had been valiantly ignoring for the last few hours, was starting to rear it’s head. 

The little boy grimaced, knowing it was the last hot chocolate that had done him in, squirming a little bit as he waited for his parents to catch up. He had stopped in the middle part of the mountain, as something had come undone on his Momma’s boot and his daddy was fixing it for her. Standing still had alerted him to the fact that he was well on his way to having a potty emergency on the mountain if they didn’t hurry up. 

He couldn’t even tell them because they were so far away, he just had to wait patiently for them to hurry up, trying his best not to get himself tripped up on his skis. All he wanted was to cross his legs but he couldn’t even do that right now.

“Sir, it’s with great urgency that I inform you that the child’s bladder capacity is currently at 84%, and his urges are becoming more frequent the longer he stands in one spot. He is starting to panic,” JARVIS said out quickly through the earpiece.

Tony’s head jerked from where he had just snapped Pepper’s boot buckle into place to turn and look at his child, at the waiting point halfway down the mountain. He could see his little boy with his hands on his hips, squirming around as best as he could on a pair of skies and he groaned let out a low curse.  
“What? What’s wrong? Were you not able to fix it?” Pepper asked in concern, as she wasn’t connected to JARVIS and hadn’t heard what he had said.

“No, I did, it’s just Pete needs to pee right now,” Tony said as he stood up before fixing his skis and grabbing his poles.

“Okay,” Pepper said curiously, not seeing the urgency.

“It’s a potty emergency love, he needs to go right now, and we are in the middle of the mountain. I might need your help to in getting him out of his snowsuit if we want him to stay dry,” Tony said before he dropped down the hill.

Pepper nodded quickly at that before she followed after her fiancé down the hill.

Peter grimaced when he saw his father coming towards him, his gloved hand trying to grab onto his crotch, but wasn’t unable to, due to all of the fabric in the way. “I need the baffroom Dad!” He called out urgently.

“I know kiddo, just head down the mountain and we’ll be going as soon as we get down,” Tony said calmly, not wanting his son to stress about the current situation. He knew that was detrimental to his child staying dry. 

“Okay,” Peter said seriously, trusting that his father would help him in his precarious situation. He turned and quickly sped down the mountain, he could see his parents on either side of him, his dad speeding up so he could get their first. Normally Peter would feel a little competitive and want to catch him, but at the moment, all he wanted to do was be in the bathroom. 

Tony made it down towards the mountain first, and just cruised towards the door. He stopped before he took off his skies and lined them up against the wall, before he grabbed his son who had been right behind him. 

Peter helped pull off his helmet and his goggles, putting them on top of their skies, his eyes wide in his desperation. His gloved hands were still uselessly trying to grab himself, to no effect.

Tony grabbed his child’s hand and led him to the bathroom, with Pepper right behind them. He was thankful that the single bathroom was vacant, especially because it was just nearing lunchtime and the lodge was soon to be crowded. He shook the thought away as he got his little family into the bathroom, leaving the door to Pepper as he led his child to the toilet.

Peter’s breaths hitched as they stopped in front of the toilet, closing his eyes tightly because he still needed to get all his layers off in time. He gritted his teeth, and stood there trembling as his father and after a moment of hesitation Pepper started helping him undo everything.

Pepper was stressed as she pulled down the child’s jacket, tossing it carelessly to the side before moving to undo the buttons as Tony started pulling the little boy’s arm out of his snowsuit. “Next time, I mean it make one with a crotch opening, or a bum flap,” she muttered out, feeling terrible because she could hear the little whimpers coming from the little boy and it broke her heart. 

“I know honey, I will,” Tony said softly, feeling terrible, breathing heavily as he finally got his child’s arms free from the suit. Thanks to Pepper, he was able to start pulling the snowsuit down past the child’s waist as Pepper unzipped the inner jacket and took it off.

“Hurry, it’s coming out,” Peter pleaded out, unable to keep his silence any longer. He had felt like they were taking forever, and he grimaced because he knew without a doubt that his pull up was more then a little damp at this point. 

“One more second bubba,” Tony said soothingly as he pulled down the last two layers of his child’s pants and the goodnight before he set the little boy on the toilet in one motion. He stepped back, and bent over feeling like he had just got down running.

Peter had himself quickly pointed down, as his stream started immediately, his toes curling in his boots, not evening caring that Pepper was in the bathroom with him. He was just happy that he hadn’t soaked his new snowsuit.

“I never want to do that again,” Pepper murmured softly to Tony, her heart beat finally calming down.

“You will, all part of having kids,” Tony said with a sheepish grin.

Pepper grinned tiredly at that, knowing he had a point. It was interesting watching her two boys, and was happy that Peter seemed to be getting comfortable with her. 

“What the plan for today? Were you planning on eating lunch here?” She asked curiously.

“We were, but after that mini crisis, I want to go to the cabin and relax,” Tony admitted.

“Me too,” Pepper said in agreement, noting that Peter seemed to be done. “Did his pull up survive?”

“Nope, but it’s not too wet, so I’ll leave it on him since we are going home now,” Tony said not wanting to have to get his child completely undressed just to put a new pull up on. 

Peter jumped off the toilet and pulled up his goodnight, not minding the dampness before he pulled up his long underwear and then his joggers before his snowsuit was next. He moved over to his father so the man could help him with all his layers. “What are we having for lunch?”

“Leftovers or I can make something. What did you want kiddo?” Tony asked easily.

“Mac and Cheese,” Peter said automatically.

“The one from the box or home made?” Tony asked curiously.

“The one from the box,” Peter said brightly.

“Alright,” Tony said as he got his son redressed, before making him wash his hands. Once everyone was ready, he ushered his family out of the single bathroom and back to the lodge where they grabbed their skis and headed to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no excuses, I just didn't want to put words to the keyboard...forgive me and here is the end. Back to Oneshots, this was wayyyyy to much pressure.

Tony drove his little family back to their cabin, making sure to grab the potty chair as they went inside as he needed to clean it and he wanted to prevent any other almost mishaps like this morning. “Pep, do you mind getting lunch ready for us?” He asked hopefully as he closed the cabin door once his family was inside. 

“I don’t mind, how many boxes of the instant mac and cheese do I need to make?” Pepper asked curiously, she wanted to make sure she didn’t underfeed Peter again. 

“That depends on whether or not we’re eating it too, I’m having a simple soup and sandwich for lunch,” Tony said as he wanted to feel cozy.

“I’ll have what you’re having, so how many boxes do I need to make?” Pepper repeated.

“2 boxes should be fine, but he’ll need some protein with it, preferably meat. Just boil up some hotdogs and cut them up and throw them in his pasta. He likes it that way, and before you ask, I think maybe 3-4 hot dogs. If it’s not enough, he will let us know,” Tony told her easily. 

“Okay,” Pepper said, ignoring the part of her that was still in disbelief at her child’s metabolism, she wouldn’t be starving him again that was for sure. She took off her coat, and grabbed a towel to clean up the snow they had tracked in, before picking up the child’s discarded snowsuit and layers. Deeming the floor clean, Pepper turned and headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

“Hey Daddy, will I get to play outside in the snow today?” Peter asked hopefully.

“I’m not sure kiddo, I don’t know how the weather will turn, especially because after lunch we are all laying down and having quiet time,” Tony said honestly.

“I don’t want to take a nap,” Peter said with a deep frown. He wanted to play in the snow!

“I know you don’t want too, but you need one. I know better than to argue with you about it right now. You’re napping, that’s what is happening, you can pout or grump about it but it won’t change my decision,” Tony said firmly.

Peter sighed heavily as he looked at his father balefully, because he didn’t want too. “Can we watch a movie together after lunch instead?” He asked, figuring he would be sly about it.

“Sure kid, we can do that. We’ll watch it in my bed with momma, so we can all be comfy,” Tony said knowing darn well that his child would most likely fall asleep faster surrounded by his parents. 

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the day was spent inside to Peter charigan   
The rest of the day was spent inside to Peter’s disappointment, as after he had woken up from that nap that he hadn’t even wanted. His Dad had made him have a big snack and then they finished the rest of the movie and Peter had been about to start on some Legos when he remembered he wanted to build a snowman. 

But at that point it had been nearing 4pm and JARVIS had told his Daddy that due to the elevation and the constant snow that it was already starting to get darker and colder and to wait until tomorrow. He understood that, as he still didn’t know what happen if he got too cold and he really didn’t want to find out. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Peter woke up the next day excited, they had spent all of yesterday morning on the beginner hills and he was excited to see if he could over some drifts now. He wanted to be in the air again like he had once yesterday. His father had laid out his outfit last night, along with his outdoor clothes, and the little boy was eager to put them all on. He knew the faster he got ready in his outdoor clothes the quicker they would go. 

He grabbed a clean pull up and slipped it on, remembering the stress of yesterday and not wanting to risk going without it and having a full blown accident. He then started to get ready, making sure he put on exactly what was on the bed. 

As he ran out of his room to get his snow boots, he passed the small laundry room and froze as he caught sight of his thermal long sleeve shirt and pants hanging on the drying rack. He swallowed thickly because he had worn them yesterday as the first layer and they had kept the sweat from his body while also keeping him nice and toasty.

He glanced down at himself, and frowned before he silently grabbed them and shoved them in the dryer. He was already in his snowsuit, and he knew that he would have to take off everything to put his first layers on. And there was now way that he was going to do that. Besides the thermal under johns didn’t make that much of a difference did it?

“I’m ready,” Peter called, ignoring the uneasy feeling in the bottom of his stomach. He was sure he would be okay, one less layer wasn’t going to make a difference was it?

“Alright kiddo come on then,” Tony called in return from where he and Pepper were waiting by the front door. 

Peter headed over and pulled his boots on before he walked out of the front door with his parents. He felt the cold immediately, his snowsuit felt nothing like the sauna it had yesterday. He pressed the mechanism for the heater, smiling when it seemed to help the chill and hurried to the car. He needed to keep warm otherwise JARVIS would tell him on and then they would have to come back home.

“We were thinking about trying out some snow drifts today kiddo, does that seem like something you want to try?” Tony asked as he closed the door behind him and started the car up. He saw how quickly Peter progressed yesterday and he didn’t want his son getting bored. 

“Yes!” Peter cheered out excitedly as he had literally had this exact same thought earlier that morning. He relaxed in his seat as they drove the 5 minute ride to the snow lodge and parked. Peter shuddered a bit because the snowsuit heater automatically turned off in the car, and he didn’t want to press it on again when they were going inside. He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, and stuck his hands into his pockets. 

“I’m going to go get Peter’s gear from yesterday, do you think you can grab a Coffee for me at the café, honey?” Tony asked Pepper sweetly.

“Of course I can sweeties, shall I get Petey a hot chocolate?” Pepper asked curiously.

“Yes, he’ll love that,” Tony said as he turned to head towards the rental counter.

Peter chose to follow his father, taking that time to really take in the lodge. As his father was getting all his rental gear, Peter noticed the red colored packet of the hand warmers on the counters. He immediately grabbed two packs and set them on the counter.

“Daddy can I get these?” Peter asked out hopefully. This was going to be even better then his first layers, he was really starting to regret everything this morning.

Tony stopped from where he was talking to the guy to look at his child and frown as he caught sight of what he was asking for. “Are you cold?” He asked worriedly as he looked at his watch, just to make sure.

“I’m not, I just thought they would be cool to have,” Peter said hurriedly, wondering why his father’s mind had immediately gone there. He hadn’t even asked with a suspicious tone either, he had thought he was being completely neutral. 

“Right,” Tony said slowly because Peter hadn’t asked for hand warmers yesterday after all. He just wanted to know where he was feeling cold so he could correct it, he didn’t want his son cold for obvious reasons. 

“Never mind It’s fine, I don’t want them,” Peter said backtracking as his father was looking at him too closely and the last thing he wanted was his father to find out he was missing a layer. He had a feeling he would get in trouble and they would have to go back home and he definitely didn’t want to do that.

“No, you can have them kiddo,” Tony said when he saw his little boy clamming up. He didn’t want him to be cold, he just wanted to know where the problem area was in the suit. 

Peter didn’t say anything, but he did pull the hand warmers off the counter and put them in his pocket. He would open them later when or if he really needed it. He didn’t want to get anymore suspicious looks from his father. Once his father had all his gear, he headed towards his mom who was sitting at a small table with their drinks. The little boy took a seat and savored his hot chocolate, he loved this stuff.

Tony took a seat next to Pepper, smiling in thanks as he grabbed his coffee. He kept silent on that weird incident with the hand warmers, because if something was legit wrong JARVIS would have told him. 

Once the little family had drank their hot drinks, they headed out on the ski slopes to enjoy another morning skiing down the hills.

Soon it was lunch time, and Peter had warmed up significantly due to his morning activities on the ski slopes and he was feeling nice and Toasty. As they trekked into the lodge, he felt very comfortable in his suit, and didn’t want to take it off. But unfortunately Daddy had other ideas.

“Sir, please remove the outer layer of the child’s snow suit, his body is getting over heated in the warm lodge,” JARVIS informed his creator through his ear piece.

Tony turned to his son to note that the little boy’s nose and cheeks were red and he didn’t know how much of that was from the cold or being too warm. He moved over to take off the little boy’s scarf and then his hat. “Come on kiddo, we have to take your suit off right now,”

“Why? I’m super toasty right now,” Peter said pouting a bit, it had taken him a long time to get warm earlier and now his Daddy wanted to get rid of his generated heat? He felt some kind of way and didn’t want to take off.

“That’s why we need to take it off, according to JARVIS you’re too warm,” Tony said as he unzipped the snow suit and helped the child take it off.

Peter grumbled to himself but he didn’t protest, however he noted with a little shudder that once his suit was off he could feel how cool the lodge was. It wasn’t cold but it wasn’t as warm as he had thought it would be. He swallowed thickly before he scooted into the booth as they were going to have lunch here again. 

“Alright, what is everyone going to have for lunch?” Pepper asked curiously as she passed around the menu for them to see.

“I want grilled cheese and tomato soup and hot chocolate please,” Peter said promptly, he wanted all warm things.

“Try to see if you can the child to order something cold to drink, the soup and the hot chocolate won’t do his already heated body any favors right now. He needs to cool down,” JARVIS said seriously.

Tony sighed but he understood that, he just knew his child. “You can have the hot chocolate or the soup, but you can’t have both kiddo,” he said quietly.

“What?” Peter asked in disbelief, because what the heck?

“Why can’t he have both?” Pepper asked in confusion.

“He’s already overheated and that’s going to make it worse, and since he can’t thermoregulate I don’t fancy trying to explain to a paramedic how on earth my child suffered a heat stroke in this weather,” Tony said dryly. 

“Oh,” Pepper said quietly, because that would bring questions they didn’t need right now.

Peter sighed softly as he tried to figure out which one, he wanted less of. He wanted both it was the whole reason he had been about to order the way he had.

“What about a Chocolate shake kiddo? Wouldn’t that better?” Tony asked slyly, knowing his little boy wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Okay,” Peter said brightly as that was even better than a hot chocolate.

Tony smirked as that had been too easy, and turned to order his family’s lunch. 

Peter waited patiently for their food to arrive, feeling a bit colder the longer he sat still in one place. He shook a bit before he quietly started to open the hand warmers. The key word was try as the plastic surrounding it, was super loud and he wasn’t surprised when both of his parents turned to look at him.

“What have you got there kiddo?” Tony asked with a curious smile.

“My hands are a little cold,” Peter said sheepishly, as he held out the warmers.

“Let me see your hands,” Tony requested instead as he stretched out his hand for his son to take.

Peter swallowed because his hands weren’t cold at all, but internally he felt the chill and he hated it. He sighed before he grabbed onto his father’s hands in return.

“Your hand feels warm kiddo, you don’t need those right now. We’re trying to cool you down after all,” Tony said as he gestured for the little boy to either hand them to him or put them away.

Peter sighed before he stuffed the warmers back into his snowsuit pocket, hoping he would get a chance to use them soon. Thankfully lunch soon arrived, and everyone started eating, and Peter hoped his parents had forgotten about him and the hand warmers. Everything was really good, even if the little boy felt that he wasn’t as warm as he could have been. 

By the time Peter had finished with his lunch, he wanted his snowsuit on again. The shake had been good, but he was cold now and he didn’t like it at all. “Can I put my snowsuit back on now? It’s going to be super cold for me to go outside like this Daddy,” the little boy hinted out.

Tony nodded absently, before he narrowed his eyes because his child was being suspicious again. Was it only just yesterday when Peter had been trying to take the snow suit off because he had said he was too hot in it? Was his little boy getting sick? No, JARVIS would have said something if he was. So what on earth was going on?

“Come here kiddo, let me check something,” Tony said a moment later as he got out of the booth and stood up. He hadn’t gotten his little boy dressed today, but he had laid out all the clothes and he hoped his son had put them all on. 

Peter eagerly got out of the booth, because it was time for his suit to be back on and he was more then ready to have it. “Kay,” he said following after his father.

Once Peter was out of the booth, Tony took that time to pull back the sweater the child was wearing, he could see the long sleeve shirt underneath it, and under it was a t-shirt but underneath the t-shirt was just skin. Where was his thermal shirt? 

His heart dropped into his stomach as he looked through the bottoms, and found the same thing there. His thermal leggings weren’t on. “Kiddo, be honest with me where is your base layer of clothes?” He asked carefully.

Peter froze because that wasn’t what he was expecting to have asked, he had thought his parents wouldn’t have noticed it. “It was hanging up in the laundry room, but I had already put on all my clothes on and we were about to leave. I didn’t think it was a big deal,” the 10 year old said softly.

“It’s a very big deal, you know I would have waited for you to put it on, no matter how long it would take. This is why you wanted the hand warmers; you’ve been cold this entire time and has been hiding it. Oh my god kid,” Tony said getting a bit stressed out.

“He’s been managing it sir, once he started skiing his temperature was in the normal range, right now it’s 98.1,” JARVIS said helpfully. “It’s normal for base humans but a bit lower then his normal temperature,”

Tony nodded, and pulled off the sweatshirt he currently had on, and put it on his son. It was a little big but it would keep the little boy warm. He then got the child into his snowsuit, feeling awful that it had taken him so long to notice the state his little boy had gotten in. He also couldn’t help feeling like he had dodged a bullet, everything was okay now.

“When we get to the cabin, you’re going to go inside and put on your base layers,” Tony told his son as he got him back into his snowsuit.

“Why? I’m wearing your sweatshirt already, and that’s added a layer I’m missing,” Peter said pouting a bit.

“What about your legs huh? I don’t want you cold kid, you’re going to go put on your base layers or we wont be playing outside in the snow. That’s the deal,” Tony said firmly, feeling like Peter wasn’t taking this as seriously as he should.  
  
Peter shook his head but didn’t argue about it. He knew if he made a big deal about it, his father would remember it is. And his mom after her mishap the other day was a little wary about being so assertive when it came to him and his abilities. The little boy opened the lodge door, and walked to the car and buckled up. He grinned as the car was already running and heated and he felt nice and toasty again.

By the time they got back home to the cabin Peter was adamant that they not have a repeat of yesterday. “We don’t even need to go inside at this point, we have all of our outdoor gear on now might as well take advantage of that,” he said smartly as soon as they had gotten out of the car.

Tony furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. “Nice try kiddo, but you heard what I said at the lodge,” he said firmly.

Peter huffed before he stomped inside the cabin, running to his room where he had stashed his base layer in. He knew JARVIS was watching on a subconscious level, and he didn’t want anything to ruin their trip. He started the painstakingly process of taking off all of his layers and putting on the bottom base layer first, before putting everything back on. 

It took a while, and by the time he had nearly finished putting on everything he was sweating. He tossed his father’s sweatshirt on the bed, and pulled on his snow hat. Due to the way his snowsuit was made, he thought he would be okay without his scarf, and tossed it on the bed as well. His neck wasn’t even cold at this point, and with that thought in mind, he hurried out of the cabin and back outside to cool down. 

He could see his parents in the middle of what looked like they were starting to build a snowman. He gave them a droll look because he had kind of wanted to do that with them. He wasn’t going to be selfish though, and simply turned to head and looked around the yard at their own little wonderland.

“Kiddo! I thought you wanted to make a snowman?” Tony called out, wondering what his child was doing.

“I’m going to make a snow angel first,” Peter said before he fell backwards on the snow. Due to the density and thickness of the snow and his snow suit, it really felt like he had fallen on a soft blanket or a cloud. He laughed and started making the motions to make his snow angel. 

It was here, that the little boy didn’t realize that his up and down movement on the ground, was causing his clothes to move in return. Because he didn’t have his scarf on, there was nothing to keep his hood from flaring out as he didn’t it. The little boy giggled and made a huge motion with his arms, and that was his mistake. 

He gasped as he felt icy, cold snow falling down his back, soaking his middle layers and chilling him to the bone. He moved to quickly get up but more snow was dripping down his back and the little boy suddenly felt very exhausted all of a sudden. 

“Daddy,” the little boy weakly called, his arms and legs stilling as he found himself paralyzed from the cold and unable to move. 

Tony didn’t hear him, because the child’s tone was faint, what he did hear was his watch’s alarm suddenly blaring as well as his A.I. in his ear telling him that his little boy’s vitals were dropping. He gasped and turned and ran to pick up his little boy. “Pepper, get the heated blanket and all the other blankets and put them on our bed,” he said frantically as he ran into the house.

Pepper’s heart jumped into her throat, because she didn’t know what exactly was happening. She knew that Peter was too cold, if Tony’s watch was anything to go by and it was. She ran through the cabin and grabbed the extra blankets and went to put them on their bed. While she was doing that, she could see Tony with Peter laying on the futon as the man hurriedly got him undressed from his wet outdoor layers.

“What happened?” She asked, her voice coated in worry.  
“Looks like snow got down his back, he’s not wearing his scarf,” Tony said softly, his heart beating frantically in his chest as he finally got all of the wet clothes off his son and got him into a pull up(just in case) and a onesie with feet to keep his heat in. 

He then, threw off his own coat and kicked off his shoes before he laid his son down in the bed, laying down with him. He noted absently that the little boy hadn’t even stirred through all of this. He covered them both up in the blankets, and held his son tightly to his chest, pressing his face into the little boy’s hair.

“Why is he so still?” Pepper asked softly as she took off her outdoor wear.

“It’s a hibernation sleep, some species of spiders hibernate when the weather gets cold, since they don’t thermoregulate. He’ll wake up…we just need to get him warm first. What his current temperature JARVIS?” Tony asked out loud for Pepper’s benefit. 

“92.5,” JARVIS said quietly.

“He’s hypothermic,” Pepper whispered in horror, wondering if she should be calling emergency services at this point.

“Yes and no, he’s not in any life-threatening danger at this temperature. It’s just that this temperature means he’ll stay like this, and this why we need to warm him up. Come on, get in the bed on his other side. He needs our body heat,” Tony said calmly, trying so hard not to freak out. He knew that wouldn’t help the situation at all. 

Pepper nodded and after she was in her pajamas, she crawled into the bed and cuddled both her child and fiancée. A part of her felt like she should be calling for help, but she knew better now and she just needed to trust Tony and JARVIS right now. “How are you so calm about this?” She asked quietly, feeling like something was stuck in her throat.

“Because, if I freak out, he’ll freak out. Subconsciously, he can understand us and hear us, he just can’t move or talk right now. His body is telling him he’s too tired to do so, and that he must sleep,” Tony explained honestly. 

Pepper didn’t understand all of it, but she got the gist of it. That being said after getting updates from JARVIS every 10 minutes about their little boy’s rising temperature, Pepper was more then happy when an hour and a half later Peter moved.

“Kiddo? Open your eyes for me,” Tony coached gently, when he saw the little boy wrinkle his nose.

“Tired,” Peter whispered, feeling like his tongue was too big for his mouth to talk properly and Daddy wanted him to open his eyes?

“What is his temperature, Jay?” Tony asked, his eyes never leaving his little boy. 

“97.9,” JARVIS said promptly.

“That’s nearly normal, isn’t it?” Pepper asked feeling more relieved than she ever thought possible. 

“For us, he runs hotter. His base temperature is normally a high 99 or low 100. But it’s better than what it was an hour ago,” Tony said finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the sleepy hazel eyes of his son looking back at him.

“Sleepy?” Peter mumbled out softly.

“You can sleep buddy, Daddy will be here when you wake up,” Tony promised him as he hugged his son to his chest.

“Will he be okay going back to sleep?” Pepper asked, worried again because this was an unknown situation to her. 

“Yes, this is a normal sleep, not a hibernation one. Let’s all take a nap after that ordeal,” Tony said softly because at this point, he wasn’t about to move. He didn’t want to go anywhere where his little family wasn’t.

“Agreed,” Pepper said softly, feeling like even though this wasn’t the ending she had planned on for their weekend, she was just happy everyone was okay. 


End file.
